In literature, alliances and friendships are frequently formed, but just as often we witness instances of betrayal and hatred. In William Golding's novel, Lord of the Flies, a group of boys find themselves stranded on a deserted island after their plane crashes. A prominent theme in this book is the theory of defense mechanisms. For instance, some of the boys initially display kindness and empathy, but ultimately transform into savage killers. The analysis of Lord of the Flies revolves around defense mechanisms.
One defense mechanism that arises in the book is displacement. An example of displacement occurs when Jack, one of the characters, becomes angry with the group leader Ralph. Instead of directing his anger towards Jack or someone else, he redirects it towards a pig. In his at
...tempt to kill the pig, Jack misses and hits a tree. The quote, "...he flung the foolish wooden stick that he carried, saw it hit the great snout and hang there for a moment..." (Golding, 77) demonstrates Jack's determination to kill the pig and his frustration when he fails to achieve his goal.
In William Golding's Lord of the Flies, Freud's psychosexual stages theory can be applied. The boys in the story are in the genital stage, but they are fixated in the Phallic stage, leading to the development of the superego. During this stage, their libido becomes sexual and they start seeking their ideal partner based on their parents as a model. Analyzing a quote from the book through Freud's psychosexual lens, we see that the underlying message is about how the boys try to fulfill their sexual desires. The quote describe
a scene where the boys giggle and playfully touch each other, satisfying their sexual urges. In the movie Mean Creek, Freud's theory of defense mechanisms is evident in Millie, a blond girl. She uses displacement as a defense mechanism after George's death. When George is drowned and buried, Millie observes from the forest and deals with her emotions by playing with a Swiss army knife.
In Mean Creek, a character displays anger towards a snail by impaling it with a Swiss army knife. This act of displacement resembles similar instances in Lord of the Flies, where Jack directs his anger towards a pig, or when Ralph punches the Lord of the Flies out of frustration with Jack. Additionally, Mean Creek can be viewed through Freud's Personality Theory, categorizing the characters into different groups such as Id, Ego, and Superego.
In terms of personality, Rocky exhibits ego but occasionally succumbs to the influence of his Id. This parallels the character Ralph in the book, who also transitions from ego to id. This can be observed as Rocky strives to make morally right choices, but is ultimately dominated by Marty, who represents the Id in this scenario. Similarly, in the movie, Rocky's little brother Sam bears resemblance to SamnEric from Lord of the Flies. Like SamnEric, Sam initially goes along with the plan but later regrets his actions and feels remorse for George. Although there are several differences, there are also notable similarities between these situations.
In the Lord of the Flies, the focus is on the conflict between Ego and Id. Ralph, as the ego, aims to promote peace and do what's best
for everyone, seeking fairness. Conversely, Jack represents the Id and exhibits primitive behaviors, demanding things to go his way. Similarly, Mean Creek centers on the clash between Superego and Id. Millie, as the Superego, opposes Marty's Id as they conspire against George. This highlights the importance of considering different perspectives in such situations.
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